annihilation

noun

an·​ni·​hi·​la·​tion ə-ˌnī-ə-ˈlā-shən 

plural annihilations

1

: the state or fact of being completely destroyed or obliterated : the act of annihilating something or the state of being annihilated

The late 1940s and '50s were so pervaded by a general fear of nuclear annihilation that the era was known as the Age of Anxiety.

—Charles Krauthammer

For a literary culture that fears it is on the brink of total annihilation, we are awfully cavalier about the Great Male Novelists of the last century.

—Katie Roiphe

… few experts believe that either regime would risk annihilation by actually launching a nuke in anger.

—Michael Elliott

The Cretaceous Extinction, whatever its cause, was one of the two most awesome annihilations of life in the history of the world.

—John McPhee

2

physics : the combination of a particle and its antiparticle (such as an electron and a positron) that results in the subsequent total conversion of the particles into energy

Both the creation and annihilation of antimatter have been observed in nuclear accelerators (atom-smashers).

—Harding E. Smith

The annihilation reactions are the most efficient sources of energy known, for in them the entire mass of both particles is converted into pure energy.

—George Greenstein

Synonyms of annihilation

• destruction
• devastation
• extinction
• havoc
• demolition
• loss
• extermination

Examples of annihilation in a Sentence

idealists who seek the annihilation of all forms of prejudice

Recent Examples on the Web

And yet, at the time, we were threatened with annihilation by three Arab armies that were about to invade us. — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026

The international cooperation that Kirchwey and Bernal called for was swallowed within months by the politics of the Cold War, which would end up bringing the world to the brink of annihilation more than once. — Richard Kreitner, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2026

Instead, much to its credit, the book unspools an unhurried, capacious story of human society’s collective journey to the brink of annihilation, and of the individuals and movements that have, so far, held us back from the edge. — Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026

Our selves can shatter without the relief of annihilation, leaving fragments that remain recognizably ours but can no longer make a whole. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing annihilation

• self-annihilation

Rhymes for annihilation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration